SWAT 4: Gold Edition

"Sir, you're in my way." "You're standing in my spot, sir." "You're in my spot, sir." Spoony brought me here... Oh, Spoony... We have a new game for you for Live Wire... *evil snicker*

SWAT 4 is the perfect game for those who love strategy but not the admin of RPGs, combat but not the chaos of deathmatch, a backstory but not an epic movie adventure. Realistic and grubby locations in Los Angeles, California have a real vibe and attention to detail and can be played in single player mode with four AI officers, or in Multiplayer mode with real players. I think it is essential to play SWAT 4 with the Elite Force mod (https://www.moddb.com/mods/swat-elite-force) which enabled features of the game that were semi-developed but unavailable in the final release and improved many aspects of the gameplay. The GEM (https://www.moddb.com/mods/swat-4-graphical-enrichment-mod) and Remake mod (https://www.facebook.com/Swat4SpecialEdition) are also worth investigating.

I loved SWAT 3 and 4 since it release. It was always a real simulation of SWAT. Though the vanillia versions have their flaws, they're unrerached even in 2023 in what they are. People may compare it to Rainbow 6, but its very different and far more realistic in terms of SWAT play. Yeah I know that Rainbow Six is more on the counter terrorism side of things, but still. In SWAT, its all about arresting not killing if any possible. The Elite Force mod makes it a perfect game, since it enhances everything. https://www.moddb.com/mods/swat-elite-force you may need a fix called m4d.dll https://worldmafia.net/threads/a-fix-for-swat4-massive-crashes.5930/ In my opinion SWAT 3 and 4 with mods are far superior to the Rainbow six franchise, but hey, it's just my biased opinion. HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS GAME !!!!!!!!!!

TLDR: (if you are new to SWAT) Pick this up for a truly unique first person experience. Decisions matter, equipment changes your gameplay, and following the rules of law enforcement make SWAT4 feel fresh to this day. TLDR: (if you know what it is) If SWAT4 is on your computer since it wasn’t on sale anywhere, now’s the time to give the game the attention it deserves. This game is extremely unique. By nature of its premise, violence carries much more weight and meaning. As a law enforcement officer, rather than a CTU like in Rainbow 6, there are strict guidelines for engagements. Each moment you must make split second decisions of the meaning of protecting and serving. Does it mean taking a life? Does it mean waiting for compliance and risking death? It’s up to you, and your actions will severely impact your score. You might be wondering, why get this over SWAT3? There’s many more items to take in SWAT4 which drastically change the way you play. The non-lethal options are expanded greatly ins SWAT4, and this is extended more with mods. PICK THIS UP. Most other payment options before were wrapped discs from its original box release, and many go for over a hundred dollars. Having this on GOG for 10 bucks is a steal. Speaking of stealing (ok, not stealing but copying) if you picked this up as abandonware, then I would suggest buying this to legitimize your love for this game. I believe that showing interest in SWAT4 and games like it with your money is the best way to encourage their development. If this game gets insane sales on GOG then developers might know that there’s a demand for challenging shooters with unique rules and gameplay. Sure, you may already have access to the experience, but nothing shows confidence in a product or idea like money.

I had this game when it first came out - but lost the disc and thus the option of re-installing. Thank you GOG for bringing this to us after so long waiting, because this really is as good as light tactical shooters get. It strikes a perfect balance between accessibility and depth, giving you a myriad of approaches and ways to complete your mission, while never really leaving you with too much management and fiddling. Each mission is crafted with a great intro briefing (many with authentic 911 calls) and a fairly claustrophobic map full of little corners and side rooms for perps to hide in. Each mission also has plenty of great details in the environment that tell a wider story without ramming it down your throat. It gives the game this fantastic sense of character that most tactical games utterly lack. Oh, and there's a bean bag shotgun. It's great.